A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to launch instruments from 48 to 145 km above the surface of the Earth, the altitude generally between weather balloons and satellites; the maximum altitude for balloons is about 40 km and the minimum for satellites is approximately 121 km. Certain sounding rockets have an apogee between 1,000 and 1,500 km, such as the Black Brant X and XII, which is the maximum apogee of their class. Sounding rockets often use military surplus rocket motors. NASA routinely flies the Terrier Mk 70 boosted Improved Orion, lifting 270–450-kg (600–1,000-pound) payloads into the exoatmospheric region between 97 and 201 km.
The Institute of Space Technology is a public university located in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is focused on the study of astronomy, aerospace engineering, avionics engineering and astronautics.
Badr-A was the first artificial and the first digital communications satellite launched by Pakistan's national space authority — the SUPARCO — in 1990. The Badr-A was Pakistan's first indigenously developed and manufactured digital communications and an experimental artificial satellite which was launched into low Earth orbit by Pakistan on 16 July 1990, through a Chinese carrier rocket. The launch ushered new military, technological, and scientific developments in Pakistan and also provided data on radio-signal distribution in the ionosphere. Originally planned to be launched from the United States in 1986, the Challenger disaster further delayed the launch of the satellite which changed the plan. After the People's Republic of China offered Pakistan to use its facility, the Badr-A was finally launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in 1990 on Long March 2E. Badr-A travelled at 17,500 miles per hour (28,200 km/h), taking 96.3 minutes to complete an orbit, and emitted radio signals at the 145 to 435 MHz bands which were operated by Pakistan Amateur Radio Society (PARS). The Badr-A successfully completed its designed life, and a new satellite was proposed to be developed.
The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, commonly referred to as SUPARCO, is the independent agency of Government of Pakistan, responsible for national civilian space program.
Rehbar is a series of sounding rockets launched into the upper atmosphere by Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). Rehbar-I was the first rocket launched by SUPARCO, on 7 June 1962. Rehbar-I was a two-staged solid fuel rocket.
Paksat-1,, was a geosynchronous and communications satellite built and owned by the Boeing Company, leased to the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and renamed Paksat-1. It was successfully put on orbit on 1 February 1996 as Palapa-C1 for Indonesia as its original customer. But, after the technical problems, the satellite was leased to SUPARCO at an orbital location of 38° East longitude in December 2002. Paksat-1 offers the C-band and Ku-band coverage in over 75 countries across Europe, Africa, Middle East, South and Central Asia. Its customers included government organizations, television broadcasters, telecommunications companies, data and broadband internet service providers.
The Suparco's spaceflight missions and tests were the sounding rocket launches of the Space Research Commission (SUPARCO) that were aimed at developing high-altitude rockets for Pakistan's space program. The exploration program provides opportunities for physics, atmospheric physics, investigations of the prevailing temperature gradients, wind velocities, and density of the upper atmosphere. Since its inception, over 200 sounding rockets were launched by Suparco from 1962 till its partial termination in 1972.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) (Urdu: محکمہ موسمیات پاکستان, also known as Pakistan Met Office), is an autonomous and independent institution tasked with providing weather forecasts and public warnings concerning weather for protection, safety and general information.
The Badr-B is the second spacecraft and the first Earth observation satellite launched into Earth orbit on 10 December 2001 at 09:15 by the SUPARCO — Pakistan's national space agency. Badr-B is a microsatellite, with a mass of ~70 kg, and contained the computerized system to conduct the studies on the gravity gradient. Badr-B is a research satellite to explore the upper atmosphere and the near space, and carried a large array of instruments for geophysical research.
Paksat-1R is a geosynchronous, communications satellite that was manufactured by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and operated by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), an executive space authority of the Government of Pakistan.
Yaogan is the cover name used by the People's Republic of China to refer to its military reconnaissance satellites. Yaogan satellites are largely known to primarily support the People's Liberation Army's Strategic Support Force (PLASSF), formerly the Aerospace Reconnaissance Bureau of the Second Department of the General Staff. The Yaogan program is the successor to the Fanhui Shi Weixing (FSW) recoverable reconnaissance satellite program but, unlike its predecessor, includes a variety of classes utilizing various means of remote sensing such as optical reconnaissance, synthetic-aperture radar (SAR), and electronic intelligence (ELINT) for maritime surveillance. Yaogan satellites have been launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi province, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in Inner Mongolia, and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) in Sichuan province.
Badr is a series of satellites operated by Pakistan. The first satellite Badr-1, was launched in July 1990.
For other people with the same or similar name, see Abdul Majid
The Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS), commercially known as Remote Sensing Satellite System (RSSS), is a dual-purpose Earth observational and optical satellite. Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (PRSS-1) was launched from China's Jiuquan Satellite Centre on 9 July 2018.
Dr. Salim Mehmud, also known as Salim Mehmood, is a Pakistani rocket scientist and a nuclear engineer. He is the former chairman of Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). He has served as chief scientist at the Defence Science and Technology Organization. Currently, he is the chief Scientific and Technological Advisor at the Ministry of Communications of Pakistan.
The SUPARCO Satellite Ground Station is an earth observation and remote sensing satellite control center. The SUPARCO's SGS center is a major space research centre of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), focusing on the earth observational and remote sensing technology.
The Executive Committee of the Space Research Council, was an executive and joint bureaucratic directorate that was established in 1981. The committee was tasked with formulating and developing guidelines for the Pakistani space program as well as coordinating financial management of the program. The committee was placed under the joint control of the Ministry of Finance led by Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Ministry of Science led by Lieutenant-General Zahid Ali Akbar and officials of PAEC led by Munir Ahmad Khan. It was established under the executive decree, "Ordinance No. XX" of 1981, which was issued in the Gazette of Pakistan on 21 May 1989, by the President of Pakistan. Since its establishment, approximately 13 meetings of ECSRC were held and headed by the Finance minister. The ECSRC took financial decision of setting the Flight Test Center on Sonmiani Beach as well as managing the financial and scientific development of integrated space programme on the other hand. The last meeting of ECSRC was held on 9 September 1999, and was officially devolved into Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) and the Nuclear Command Authority, the following year.
The Pakistan Mission Control Center is a separate command and control and separate mission control center at the Suparco Headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan. The PMCC manages and controls the satellite programme of Pakistan, and controls the nation's unmanned space programme.
The Lunar prediction program is an active scientific mission of the Space Research Commission (SUPARCO), aims to conduct studies and predicts the appearances and phases of the Moon. On a regular and monthly basis, Suparco provides illustrative predictions for the visibility and the parameters for the sighting of the full new Moon in the various cities of Pakistan.
Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite (PakTES-1A) is an indigenously developed remote sensing satellite of Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. It was developed by SUPARCO while payload manufacturing was subcontracted to South Africa's Space Advisory Company. It has 300 Kilogram Mass. It was launched on board a Chinese Long March 2C rocket on 9 July 2018. It will operate at an altitude of 610 kilometres (380 mi) from the Earth.
